Ying Qingcang returned to the bedroom to find Xin Qing already asleep. He crawled into bed and drew her into his arms, stroking her cheeks with his finger. Then, he suddenly frowned.
"Ah Qing, you're pretending to be asleep."
Xin Qing's eyelids fluttered slightly. Amused, Ying Qingcang covered her lips with his own. "Stop faking," he said, "I'll start taking off your clothes if you don't open your eyes right now!"
"No, don't!" Xin Qing's eyes shot open. Ying Qingcang's eyes darkened instantly. "Have you been cried?"
The two red-rimmed eyes staring back at him right then obviously belonged to someone who had been crying moments ago.
Xin Qing pouted slightly. "N- No."
"Then what's up with your eyes?"
"Some dust went into them," Xin Qing said, though she wanted to smack herself the moment it came out. "What the hell? What kind of shitty excuse is that?" she thought.
Ying Qingcang laughed, his hands sliding towards her pyjamas. "You heard everything, didn't you?"
Xin Qing sniffed, and her tears began to flow once more. "Wuwuwu... I don't want to get an abortion. I want to bring the child into this world."
"Shh, it's okay. Don't cry," Ying Qingcang said, kissing her tears away. "It is my child, too, you know. I want him to arrive safely in this world too. But... If your body really can't withstand the process, then I have no choice but to sacrifice the child."
Xin Qing stared at him blankly. "And then, what? You'll take your father's advice and look for other women to carry the children of Ying family?"
"Nonsense!" Ying Qingcang bit down harshly on her lips.
Xin Qing hummed. "Oww..."
"Oh, now know what pain feels like?" Ying Qingcang said, glowering at her. "You're trying to push me away to other women while you secretly run away, aren't you? You don't think I'll feel pain when you do that?"
"But... But what if I really can't carry a child-"
Ying Qingcang cut her off. "What does it even matter? We can just go to an orphanage and adopt one. We'll raise the child from a very young age," Ying Qingcang said. Then, there was a sudden change in the look of his eyes. "Ah Qing, promise me that you'll never leave me again. I can disregard everything else, but not you. You're the only one I want." A hint of vulnerability flashed inside the depths of his eyes. Then, he took Xin Qing's hand and placed it over his heart.
"You feel it? This thing right here is beating for you. If you abandon me, then you might as well dig it out right now. It won't be able to survive without you anyway."
Xin Qing clung to Ying Qingcang and held on for dear life. "I won't. I won't!" Xin Qing said, choked up. "I'll never ever leave you. I promise you! I'll be brave. I'll face the problem together with you."
"Good!" Ying Qingcang tightened his hold on her. "Now that's more like it."
After a while, Xin Qing said softly, "H-Hey, what are you doing with your hands?"
"Don't you feel hot, babe?" Ying Qingcang kept his hands busy. Xin Qing could only watch as he took off her pyjamas and then began stroking her belly worriedly. "Look, even your stomach has swollen up. We can't have sex now, right?"
Ying Qingcang lowered his head wordlessly. Instantly, Xin Qing felt her body go limp with desire. A moan made its way out of Xin Qing's lips, and she covered her mouth in disbelief.
"How come I'm-"
"That's normal," Ying Qingcang said, cutting her off and raising his head. His hand slid lower along her body. "Women are more sensitive during their pregnancies. And they'll have stronger urges!"
Xin Qing's lips were covered before she could say anything else.
By the time she woke up, Ying Qingcang was nowhere to be found.
There was a note on the nightstand beside the bed: "Eat something when you wake up. I'll come home earlier today. Also, you were very passionate last night, babe. I loved it very much!"
Xin Qing crumpled the note and tossed it straight into the trash can. Then, she got up to take a bath, all the while cursing Ying Qingcang. This time around, she could really believe the claim about women experiencing stronger sex drive during pregnancy. She recalled the way her body was sprawled on the bed last night as she begged and pleaded with Ying Qingcang to give her what she needed. At the thought, she suddenly wished to find a pit on the ground where she could bury herself in.
Having made herself presentable, Xin Qing went downstairs to grab a bite. When she got downstairs, she saw Ying Hao sitting in the living room. Ying Hao smiled when he saw her.
"Ah, Xin Qing! Why don't you eat something first? After that, let's have a chat?"
"There's no need for that, father. Just say speak whatever it is that you have in mind. Or else, I don't think I'll be able to eat properly anyway." Xin Qing sat down and stared at Ying Hao calmly. Now that she had promised Ying Qingcang that she would hold firm and face their problems together with him, she would bring out her attitude and summon her mettle. She could not allow her man to carry the burden alone. She might not be a strong person, but for the sake of her child and the man she loved, she would learn to be brave!
Ying Hao's face held a strange and awkward look. Still, he opened his mouth to speak, "You're aware that there's something wrong with your body?"
"Yes, I am," Xin Qing said. "There's a possibility I might not be able to deliver this child."
"And that might also be the case in the future," Ying Hao said, looking straight at Xin Qing. "The Ancestral Behest had already foreshadowed something like this. You'll never be able to carry the children of Ying family."
Xin Qing clenched her hands into fists, though her eyes never strayed from Ying Hao's. "So what if I can't?"
"What do you mean 'so what if you can't'?" Ying Hao sounded slightly angry at this point. His tone became sharp and harsh. "Do you want the Ying family to end up without a successor?"
Xin Qing tried her best to calm herself. When she spoke, her words came out clear and decisive: "Father, I will give birth to this child. Even if it's like you said, that the Ancestral Behest had dictated that I won't be able to deliver Ying family's children, none of that matters. Ah Cang and I have already discussed things. If if it really comes to that, we'll adopt a child. The Ying family won't be without a successor, please rest assured."
"Ping!" Ying Hao's walking stick slammed violently against the floor as he leveled Xin Qing with an angry stare. "Rest assured? Is this some kind of joke? Why adopt a child when my son is perfectly fertile?" When he saw Xin Qing sitting there quietly with her head lowered, Ying Hao pulled in a deep breath and then exhaled. "Come on, Xin Qing," he went on patiently. "It's actually not that big of a deal. I've already told Ah Cang this. Just find a clean woman to carry his child. Once she gives birth, I will send the woman away and let you keep the child. You can both raise the child as if it were your own. Killing two birds with one stone, isn't that perfect?"
A bitter smiled formed on Xin Qing's countenance. She closed her eyes. By the time her eyes re-opened, the look of determination had returned to her face. "Father, I'll never agree with this. Even if Ah Cang agrees, I won't."
"You..." Anger coursed through Ying Hao. "Xin Qing, you're in way over your head. Are you trying to force Ah Cang to divorce you?"
Every single shred of decorum fled Xin Qing at that comment. She released a humorless chuckle. "Oh, don't brag about how you have the power to force our divorce. Even if we did divorce each other, other than the headquarters of Ying Enterprises, I own eighty percent of the total shares of the Ying family. I won't be the one left with nothing when the time comes!"
"Xin Qing!" Ying Hao sprang to his feet. "Don't make me do things the hard way. Otherwise..."
"Old master!" Aunt Tian suddenly ran in. "The young miss has to eat on a schedule. It won't be good for the child if she doesn't." Aunt Tian helped Xin Qing to her feet and headed back to the dining hall. Xin Qing gave Ying Hao a final glance before she left with Aunt Tian.
In the days following that incident, Ying Hao would practically foam at the mouth whenever he saw Xin Qing. Ying Qingcang failed to get him to leave, at the same time, he was also worried that it might affect Xin Qing's health. That was why he decided to just bring Xin Qing to work every day. Plus, it just so happened that Monica had returned from East Africa, so she could keep Xin Qing company.
"Xin Qing, can you talk to Ah Cang? Tell him not to send me to East Africa anymore," Monica pleaded, looking completely aggrieved.
"Oh? But haven't you always enjoyed traveling around?" Xin Qing stared at the young woman before her. Monica had matured well over the years. Not only had she become prettier, she now also had an air of accomplishment and poise about her. As long as she kept her mouth shut, she would exude an aura similar to Ying Qingcang's. Well, too bad that image would fall apart the moment Monica opened her mouth.
Monica stared at her with a look of disapproval. "Ugh! You just don't get it! Look at you, already about to give birth while I don't even have a boyfriend."
"You're that desperate to get married?"
"Not at all. But I still have to stake my claim on a man, right?" Then, Monica's tone turned secretive. "You have no idea that good men are getting rarer and rarer these days? If I don't stake my claim on one, where am I going to find one by the time I want to get married?"
"Right! Has anyone caught your eyes, then?" Xin Qing asked her with a straight face.
"Ah Nan, of course! I-" Monica clammed up instantly. Then, she poked Xin Qing's head. "Xin Qing! You tricked me into spilling my guts! Ugh, I swear, Ah Cang is a bad influence on you."
Ying Qingcang had just returned from a meeting and was walking into his office when he saw his babe being poked in the head by someone. Scowling, he shoved Monica aside. "Hey! Why are you poking her? Ah, I see. You don't feel like staying here anymore, is that it? Fine, then. Go back to East Africa tomorrow."
"No!" Monica looked completely aghast at that point. She kept shooting pleading looks to Xin Qing as if her life depended on it. Xin Qing grinned and leaned into Ying Qingcang's embrace. Then, Xin Qing glanced behind Ying Qingcang at Ah Nan. "Don't send Monica away again, please?" she told Ying Qingcang. "Otherwise, she'll blame us if she can't get married in the future!"
Ying Qingcang's gaze went back and forth between Monica and Ah Nan. Then, his brows arched high as realization hit him. Ah Nan, on the other hand, was trying his best not to blush. The poor man was so unsettled that he did not even know where to put his hands. All of a sudden, Monica grabbed Ah Nan's collar. "You're a fully-grown, adult man. What's there to be shy about? Come, let's go out and have a chat!"
When the pair left, Ying Qingcang glared at her as he rubbed her sides to help her catch her breath. "Hey, stop laughing. Serves you right if you have chest pains later!"
Xin Qing's mood had lightened due to Monica's presence. Too bad whatever good mood she had acquired vanished the moment they arrived home that night.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ying Qingcang glared at Rong Siman, who was standing in the living room.
Rong Siman smiled and glanced at Ying Hao.
"I'm the one who brought her here," Ying Hao said with a glare. Then, he pointed at another woman sitting beside him. "This is Rong Xiao. She'll be staying here for a while."
It was then that Xin Qing noticed the person sitting at the corner of the couch. Well, saying that she was a woman might not be so fitting; she seemed more like a little girl rather than a woman. She was very petite, though she did possess delicate features. There the girl sat, shrinking away to one corner with her head lowered. When the girl saw Xin Qing appraising her, she was so terrified that she was almost in tears.
"This is my distant cousin!" Rong Siman began the introductions. Then, she smiled at Xin Qing and said, "Oh, you can just treat her as your little sister in the future. This girl is quite low maintenance, actually. After she gives birth, you can have her around as a nanny or something if Xin Qing's okay with it. Otherwise, I'll just bring her back."
Xin Qing's face paled instantly. She stared at Ying Hao. "So he was serious after all. He really brought another woman here?"
Ying Qingcang noticed something wrong with Xin Qing's behavior. He wrapped his arm around Xin Qing and stroked her face. Then, he gave Ying Hao a cold stare. "Since when is my place open to the public? You'd think that anyone could just waltz in here at this point," Ying Qingcang spat. "Ah Che, chase them out!"
Ah Che strode over, yanked Rong Xiao to her feet and began dragging her towards the exit. The timid little girl burst into tears and crawled her way back towards Ying Qingcang's feet as she sobbed. Ying Qingcang kicked her away.
"Don't touch me. You're disgusting!"
Rong Siman quickly stepped in. "Ah Cang, don't worry," Rong Siman said. "Rong Xiao is still a virgin. She's clean!"
"Mr. Ying, I beg you. Please, don't kick me out. I'll serve you well. Just don't kick me out..." Kneeling on the floor, Rong Xiao pleaded incessantly, though she dared not touch Ying Qingcang again.
Ying Qingcang did not even spare her a glance. His gaze swept towards Rong Siman instead. "I bet you're going to tell me that if I kick her out, she'll end up as some prostitute in the city slums!"
"That's right!" Ying Hao nodded. "So you must-"
"What's that got to do with me?" Ying Qingcang cut him off. His cold gaze sliced across the air towards Ying Hao like a knife that had been dipped in poison. "Ah Che, chase these three out. From now on, do not allow them to take even a single step into Ying's residence!"